Spit

As I arrived at work the other morning I saw this guy just getting out of his car.   As he slammed the door, he spat.   It seems like there are a lot of people who spit these days.   I've never been much of a spitter and I have to say, I find it a tad gross.   Okay, maybe more than a tad.   Do these people really have that much excess saliva slopping around in their mouths?   What do they do at work?   Maybe I don't want to know.

You see a lot of athletes spitting.   Exercising makes me sweat, not spit.   Maybe if I spat more there would be less liquid for me to sweat.   I remember when I used to run around Como Lake there was a guy who also ran and was spittin' all the way.   I figured maybe I was missing out on something so one day I decided to give it a try.   I worked up some saliva in my mouth but then I couldn't decide where I should let it go.   I felt very self-conscious and dirty, like I was contemplating public urination.   I really didn't want to spit where anyone would see me.   I finally found a patch of the run where I was alone and so I spat.

I don't know if spitting is a learned skill or if some people are just born good at it.   It turns out I am not a good spitter.   My attempt while running had insufficient force and trajectory.   Most of the output ended up on my chin.   The whole experience was unsettling, to say the least.

I was curious what Minneapolis and Saint Paul had fot spitting ordinances.   It turns out Saint Paul's is a bit more stringent, banning the floors of many public spaces.   Minneapolis' is constrained to the parks.   Minneapolis does, however, have an ordinance outlining proper conduct in theaters, specifically banning the wearing of hats that interfere unreasonably with another's view or enjoyment.   This has nothing to do with spitting, but I think it's kind of nifty.